The invention relates to a surgical torque wrench having a jaw part for application to an element to be turned and adjoining the jaw part a handle part for turning the jaw part, wherein the jaw part and the handle part are joined to one another for pivotal movement about a pivot axis extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the element to be turned, wherein there is provided between jaw part and handle part a holding device which fixes jaw part and handle part in a certain angular position relative to one another and which is releasable when a certain torque is exceeded, and wherein there is operative between jaw part and handle part a stop which limits the pivot angle of the jaw part relative to the handle part when the holding device is released.
Such torque wrenches are used to screw in or release screws or nuts, for example, in orthopedic implants or endoprostheses.
It is desirable to be able to apply precisely determinable maximum torques to the elements to be turned with the torque wrench, i.e., the operator should be able to reliably ascertain when a certain torque is exceeded during the screwing in or out.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,638 describes a generic torque wrench wherein the jaw part remains in an overload position when an overload occurs. It must be pivoted out of this overload position back into an operational position by the operator. In certain working situations, this can disturb the operating sequence.